Home Office Design Tips

With more and more people working remotely, home offices are becoming a part of daily life. These home office design tips will help you to remain organized, productive, and keep some amount of separation between your professional and home life. Working at home is a great perk but one that also comes with some potential pitfalls. There are a lot of distractions and when the family is home, the separation between work and home can be nearly non-existent. There are further considerations to be made if you require space for external clients or collaborative work spaces with colleagues on a regular basis, and may want to consider a more elaborate set-up than the typical home work space. Follow these tips to keep yourself organized and focused during your work day while enjoying the comforts of home.

Find an underutilized space in your home, one that has defined boundaries and physical separation from the rest of the home. With today’s mobile equipment and virtual workspaces, you may not need a lot of footage. Before purchasing expensive equipment, consider the option of an off-site office store such as Kinko’s which may be sufficient to handle any needs beyond those met by a small printer and scanner. Many companies with remote staff communicate via online platforms such as Slack and Skype and conduct very little communication via telephone. If you do regularly speak with clients or other colleagues, it may be a good idea to invest in a dedicated business line.

When you are setting up your office be sure that there is a good sense of flow and that everything is neat and orderly. Investing in proper storage systems is another effective way to keep visual distractions at a minimum. Start with the ideal set-up that you desire and come down from there, rather than just throwing things together without a plan. A well-organized office, that is designed for your specifications in a seamless fashion, will help you to stay productive and focused. With laptops and tablets providing an increasing amount of functions desks no longer need to large pieces that take up a significant amount of your office space.

A streamlined work station may be sufficient for your needs, and an alternate seating option, such as a comfortable chair with ottoman, can be a welcome addition during those long conference calls. If you are looking to keep costs down, make an exception with your desk chair and splurge on one that is ergonomic. Office equipment stores offer a wide range of such chairs at reasonable prices. Be sure that your set-up is aligned with your typical body position to reduce strain and soreness.

Create an office space that reflects your personality while serving your business needs. Make the space somewhere that you enjoy being. A cool and neutral color palette will help to keep you focused with accent colors that spur your drive and creativity. Purple is known to keep the brain engaged and is a great choice for a home office. Yellow has been known to cause anxiety and should be avoided, while red is another energetic color perfect as an accent. Make your office your own and be sure to keep a separation from the rest of the home for privacy and productivity during your work hours.